BRICS litmus test for Modi, India

By Prof PK Sharma 
Two day 18th BRICS-2026 International Summit of Nations in New Delhi just a couple of days away will prove indeed to be a Litmus Test for PM Narendra Modi and India hosting this summit while holding rotating chairmanship on the four-pronged theme of Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. 
The summit ironically is likely to face the music owing to very tense, turbulent and chaotic conditions prevailing in various parts of the nation. It is indeed beyond anyone's comprehension how summit will see smooth sailing when the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Cockroach Janta Party, Youth, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are protesting, agitating and grappling with the system on streets and roads for fair play, the law of the land to reign supreme for justice, at present groping in the dark aspiring for a bright career and future. The Indian polity at its wits end appears to be in a state of helplessness and cluelessness to address and redress their grievances stooping day in and day out before these all. It has not cared at all to create a congenial aura on the ground for the summit to deliberate on the theme in question in a harmonious atmosphere. 
Then the summit is to take place now under too much changed geo-political circumstances and environment making the going very Uphill and Herculean for the host nation. The host chairing the meet itself not at all in fine tune with the virtues of resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability at home, how will it call and impress upon the BRICS nations to adhere to these  ultimately translating the same into actuality. Charity infact begins at home
Brazil, Russia, India, China joined hands together in the year 2009 to discover this group of nations BRICS but at present after a span of seventeen years its strength no doubt has gone up but now India has turned and twisted into an odd nation entity as it has been dancing to the tunes of Donald Trump's second term led United States of America for the past quite some time which may prove to be a stumbling block in honouring its credentials as its founder partner party to all the aims, objects and scope of BRICS seen then eye to eye with.
The host chairman India may have to pass through  very awkward  moments and a severe ordeal too if Brazil, Russia, Iran, China(Modified BRICS Acronym) push their sharp agendas of "De-dollarisation" to replace it with local currencies and deploring sternly USA-Israel attack on Iran then "I" of India may find itself cornered and in hot waters because USA has all along been opposing tooth and nail replacement of dollar move and has been Israel's close ally in upsetting Iran. How will the host strike a balance in keeping its friend Israel and Iran both in good humour?
Following USA-Israel invasion on Iran on February 28, the entire world saw swift realignment of countries of the world. As usual like Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) meet and many other global platforms, India will not refrain from raising its too much stereotyped often resonated issue of dismantling of ecosystem of terror by BRICS nations though it may not openly and in clear cut terms deplore USA-Israel attack on Iran soft pedalling the issue of war by dint of sheer optics and tokenisms saying wars should be ended in the veiled manner as in Bishkek.
The moot question springs up, have all these global groups G20, G7, QUAD, SCO, NATO, European Union so on and so forth in any constructive and positive manner been instrumental in either ameliorating the plight of developing nations socially and fiscally further or stopping wars among nations to restore peace and normalcy in the world. These have their own vested narratives and agendas of dominance as well as promoting their sale of war weapons, fighter planes drones and missiles etc. outwitting one another. The Russia-Ukraine years long Conflict, Indo-Pak tug of war and USA-Israel Invasion on Iran with the sinister designs of effecting a change of guard in a couple of days are recent examples during past four five years.
Will Chairman Modi's India strive to draw closer to China and Russia or still prefer to continue to play a second fiddle and compromised India stance to USA as in the recent past maintaining status quo in its foreign policy or changing sides, this summit may offer crystal clear clarity of the same "To be or not to be" question for the times to follow? It remains to be seen whether internationally alienated India succeeds in improving its image world wide or not by dint of hosting this summit as rotational chairman. An American thinker and journalist John Canon Maxwell here is quite relevant to cite:" A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way."
The leadership qualities to keep intact the best interests of India will really be on the BRICS Summit radar for India!
Sans an iota of doubt, the BRICS road ahead for the hosting chairman is replete with "ifs" and "buts" galore poised for a tough going. How things take shape at 18th BRICS meet for the dream of a peaceful, amiable and harmonious world order to see the reality of the day or it too will just be a ritual get together of participating nations with cosmos as ever in status quo plight, is in the lap of time?
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Prof PK Sharma is a Freelance Journalist from Barnala (Punjab). Views are personal.